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The role of Nile in Egypt
The role of Nile in Egypt
The role of Nile in Egypt
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Recommended: The role of Nile in Egypt
Gianna Strazzulla October 11, 2017
Honors Western Civilization Period 1 Grade 9
Egypt DBQ- How did the Nile shape Ancient Egypt?
The annual flood and abundant natural resources made the Nile River a life sustaining force of nature that directly contributed to the creation and survival of the Ancient Egyptian civilization. The Nile River (the “Nile”) played an integral part in shaping the lives and communities of Ancient Egypt. It provided food, transportation, and building materials which contributed to the economy and most importantly the continuity of the Ancient Egyptians.
Two lakes feed the Nile, Lake Tana located in the highlands of Ethiopia and Lake Victoria located in Kenya. The Nile flows north
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Ancient artists wrote hymns, songs and poems about the Nile, such as Hymn to the Nile. These writings were an expression of their gratitude for the Nile and praised it for what it provided. Artists often decorated tombs with images of the afterlife. These images either depicted their gods sailing on the Nile or the Nile as a passageway to the afterlife. The Nile was also used in many hieroglyphics and spoken about in many writings. The Ancient Egyptians believed there was a direct correlation between the Nile and their gods. If the gods were pleased, the Nile would have a great flooding season providing a bountiful harvest and successful trade. If the gods were upset, the Nile would flood too much or not enough causing less food and effecting trading. The Nile was also a symbol to the Ancient Egyptians. The “Black Land” that hugged the Nile represented life. While the “Red Land” just beyond the deserts represented death. “For Egyptians, the Nile literally meant the difference between life and death” (“Background
In document B, the chart and document C, the illustration, people had seasons based on the Nile and farming. In document B it states, “ Crops in the lower Nile harvested and sent to market.” So therefore, without the Nile crops wouldn't grow. Also, people used the Nile for transportation. They had a flood season, a growing season, and a harvest season. If the Nile flooded more than 30 feet, it would flood the villages and if it flooded under 25 feet then it wouldn't be enough water. They transported food, tombs, and obelisks on large barges. Not only did the Nile shape Ancient Egypt through economics but also spiritual life.
According to document C, some of the goods that were transported using the Nile consisted of religious artifacts such as statues with mysterious hieroglyphic symbols and many rocks that were used to build the great pyramids of Giza. So besides the Nile being a regular trade route, it became a religious trade route as well. However, a major part of the religion of the Egyptians was the belief in the afterlife. The afterlife was actually a paradise that is often referred to as the “Field of Reeds.” (Document D) In many tomb paintings, the picture of the Field of Reeds is illustrated with the Nile River making up the entire border of the painting. Consequently, the Nile was believed to be a part of heaven, which made it a very significant resource. Document E shows that the Egyptians even wrote hymns to the Nile, praising and honoring it for exultating their land and bring the people and children
2. The Nile River was probaly the biggest reasons why communities and tribes stayed where they did during this time period. The Nile River served them for everything from clean water, fish for food, and transportaion.
The Nile River served as a huge unifying factor in Egypt because it was the fastest way to travel, making communication and trade very simple things (Duiker 13). In addition to Egypt’s natural defenses – the desert and Mediterranean Sea – Egyptians found a sense of security in their religion also. Their blessings of the sun, the Nile River, and their fertile land all took the form of gods (Duiker 15). The Egyptians had very positive outlooks on life because even if a person failed in his lifetime, he would reincarnate so he could try again to succeed. Those who succeeded and fulfilled the rules of their Gods would live an eternal life of peace and enter the heavens, also known as the Elysian Fields to the Egyptians (Ancient Egyptian
Throughout world history one learns about many different civilizations. In this case we will be talking about two civilizations. Comparing and contrasting these two civilizations will go into more depth and expand ones knowledge, such as, the Mesopotamia and The Nile River Valley.
Finally, the Nile provided Egypt with a multiplicity of religious beliefs. For example, the rise and fall of the water level led the Egyptians to witness the cycles of birth, death, and re-birth. They believed that the gods controlled the Nile, so this led the river to becoming one of the many things they worshipped. The god of the Nile was known as “Hapi” and the Egyptians thought he provided them with water and fertilization. Furthermore, the belief of an afterlife came from the Nile. They believed that after death they would ride an “underneath” version of the Nile to their afterlife. The river not only impacted people on a physical level, but on a personal level.
Finally, the Nile influenced spiritual beliefs. Egyptians believed that the Nile would provide for them even in the afterlife (Doc D). The Nile was reflected in bottom panel of the tomb painting like the one of paradise called Field of Reeds. If it did not exist, there would be nothing to draw in the paintings – no water, the crops, no people, the boat rides. Egyptians sang hymn of praise and thanks to the Nile (Doc E). The hymn shows that Egyptians worshipped the river and believed it had the power to bring happiness or sorrow. The people knew that there was a strong connection between the river and their
Conscious of the geographical region, Egyptians settled around the Nile, as the Nile provided substance (agriculture, irrigation, trading routes, etc.). The Egyptians noticed that the Nile would flood regularly, and exploited this natural flooding by building an irrigation system to support their agriculture, as well as their society. “Hymn to the Nile” depicts this prosperous age of agriculture, “Lord of the fish, during the inundation, no bird alights on the crops. You create the grain, you bring forth the barley, assuring perpetuity to the temples.” ("Ancient History Sourcebook: Hymn to the Nile, c. 2100 BCE."). However, the Nile might have contributed to the eventual collapse of ancient Old Kingdom Egyptian civilization. The Nile partially destroyed the society that it had once nurtured. A series of low or high floods over the course of a few years immensely impacted their agriculture, which in turn created epidemics of famine and civil unrest. The Egyptian civilization eventually prospered once more, only centuries later and with new social
"All of Egypt is the gift of the Nile." It was the Greek historian Herodotus who made that observation. The remarkable benefits of the Nile are clear to everyone, but through history he was the first to talk about it and consider its fascination. Through history, the Nile played a major role in the building of civilizations. The first civilizations to appear in history started on a river valley or in a place where resources are numerous and example of these are in India where Indus river is found and Tigris where Euphrates is found and many other places (cradles of civilization).
In Egypt, the Nile River overflowed its banks annually, creating fertile, mineral-rich soil. The yearly rise of the Nile in Egypt was gentle and predictable. The Egyptian’s found security in the Nile’s 365-day cycle of inundation and Egypt’s perimeter of sea and desert
The flooding surges of the land, and leaves behind water for the people, and fertile land, which can be used for agriculture. The impact the Nile has on Egypt during the ancient times and present are consierably apparent. The influence the Nile has is so extensive, that even the speech is transposed. For example, "To go north" in the Egyption language is the same as, "to go down stream"; "to go south" the same as "to go upstream." Also, the term for a "foreign country" in Egypt would be used as "highland" or "desert", because the only mountains or deserts would be far away, and foreign to them. The Nile certainly had an exceptional influence on Egypts, both lifestyle and thinking.The Nile also forced a change on the political system and ruling in Egypt.
The Nile River is arguably one of the most important water sources in the world and has an extremely rich history dating back thousands of years. Without the Nile, the ancient Egyptian civilization would have never existed. Egypt is basically a whole lot of sand and not much else, except they have the Nile River flowing through it, on it’s way to the Mediterranean sea. The ancient Egyptians lived along the Nile River and it provided them with abundant water, food (fish) and the opportunity to develop agriculture along it’s banks. The Nile River was also used for transportation and trade with other regions because land travel was more difficult than floating on the river. The Ancient Egyptians were at the mercy of the seasonal flooding and droughts but learned to work within the natural system of the River and weather cycles (Carnegie Museum of Natural History). Modern people, however were more interested in conquering nature, rather than living in harmony with it.
Rivers are a natural water source for civilizations, which is needed for a civilization to sustain. In Ancient Egypt,
The Nile River had great influence on Ancient Egyptian culture. The Nile is the longest river in the world, that is located in Africa, was the source of livelihood for the ancient Egyptians as it was used for trade and hunting, as well as, drinking and fishing. It was also used for bathing and other hygiene purposes. It was the source of Ancient Egypt’s wealth, treasures, and the greatest arteries supplied the land with blessings and drown ancient Egyptians in various graces through the ages as the emitter of life in Egypt and the source of its existence, because it watered ancient Egyptian’s lands. The Nile had the greatest impact on timeless civilization that originated on it in the past ages, the Nile held oldest civilization immortalized in history. Ancient Egyptians could not have survived without the Nile River, which in essence, inspired their way of living, “The country’s verdant green fields and bountiful food resources depended on the fertile soil of the Nile flood plain” (Silverman 12). In turn, many ancient
Providing extremely fertile soil is one, if not the most important, roles the Nile River played in the life of the ancient Egyptians. By providing fertile soil, the Nile made it easy for cities and civilizations to grow alongside the banks of the river. This fertile soil comes from the annual flooding of the Nile. This replenishes the top soil with silt deposits that hold much needed nutrients for crops to grow. Ancient Egyptians developed highly complex irrigation methods to maximize the effect of the Nile waters. When the Nile overflows in mid summer, Egyptians divert the waters through the use of canals and dams. As the water seeped into the farm land, rich deposits of silt ensured a good harvest for the year. This allows the civilizations of Egyptians to grow enough food to feed the community. Without the annual flooding of the Nile, Egyptians would have a very difficult time growing necessary amount food to sustain life. Most of the land in the Egyptian nation is dry desert. Very little rain falls year round here. The river provides the needed water to grow the crops as well as provide drinking water for the people. Th...